Hunt for Yorkshire and Humber’s Most Enterprising Place

17/03/2010

The search for Yorkshire and Humber’s most enterprising place is now on. Launched on March 16 at the World Trade Centre Hull and Humber, the Enterprising Britain 2010 competition rewards those cities, villages, towns and neighbourhoods that have tackled the economic downturn head on and are successfully creating jobs, boosting local business and nurturing entrepreneurial talent as the UK emerges from the recession.

Last year, Hull was named the region’s most enterprising place in the initial stage of the competition. In 2008 Scarborough won this accolade and went on to win the Enterprising Britain competition.  The seaside town’s enterprise credentials have now been recognised on an international scale winning the most enterprising place in Europe at the Enterprising Europe Awards.

Linda McAvan, MEP for Yorkshire and Humber, who has been championing the competition and attended the launch today, said: “Hull is a fitting venue for the launch of the 2010 Enterprising Britain competition. I attended the Global Entrepreneur Week event that was hosted in the city last autumn and saw for myself the work that is going on in the city to stimulate entrepreneurial activity and to redevelop the city in general.  With its track record, Hull must have a great chance of going on to win the Enterprise Europe competition and continue to help people from all backgrounds aspire to start their own business and succeed.”  

The competition has been running since 2005. This year is the first time it has expanded to five categories which are: Enterprise Culture, Driving Entrepreneurial Skills, Business Support and Start-up, Global Entrepreneurship, and Social Cohesion. Organisations can enter any or all of the categories and regional winners go on to the national finals later in the year.

The Enterprising Britain competition is a key part of the Government’s drive to create the right conditions for enterprise across the UK. It seeks out areas which have embedded a culture of supporting and encouraging their entrepreneurs and businesses.

Alex McWhirter, Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward said; “The Enterprising Britain is your chance to promote what you’ve achieved and to ensure that other small and medium sized businesses, communities and enterprise projects can learn from your successes. 

“The competition helps highlight and spread excellence in enterprise across the UK and I would encourage all the innovative projects out there that are helping to make Yorkshire and Humber an even better place to live and work, to enter and have a chance at being crowned the UK’s enterprise champion.” 

Enterprising Britain is free to enter and is open to all organisations that are working in partnership to create an enterprising place. The place can be a town, a city, a parish or a neighbourhood and organisations must demonstrate that enterprise is central to the economic and/or social transformation of the place.  

To register interest email your contact details to enterprisingbritain@enterpriseuk.org. Entries must be submitted by 31 May 2010 and the winner will be announced in October 2010. 

Application forms can be downloaded www.enterpriseuk.org/enterprisingbritain

Notes to editors:

  • Enterprising Britain is a nationwide competition that celebrates and recognises enterprise achievement throughout all the regions of the UK. For more information please visit  www.enterpriseuk.org/enterprisingbritain
  • Enterprising Britain is open to all organisations in the UK that are working in partnership to create an enterprising place. The place can be a town, a city, a parish or a neighbourhood and organisations must demonstrate that enterprise is central to the economic and/or social transformation of the place
  • The competition runs nationally across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and operates in two stages: a regional nomination stage and a national competition between the regional finalists
  • The regional heats run from 5 March 2010 to 31 May 2010. The 12 finalists will be shortlisted by a national judging panel. Six of the finalists will pitch to the panel and the top three will be visited by the judging panel in September
  • The Enterprising Britain 2009 winner was NWES Lowestoft and the runner-up was Pride of Hull
  • The Enterprising Britain 2008 winner was Scarborough Renaissance Partnership and the runner-up was Herefordshire Council
  • The Enterprising Britain 2007 winner was North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone and the runner-up was The Paper Trail www.thepapertrail.org.uk
  • The Enterprising Britain 2006 winner was West Kilbride Craft & Design Town. For more information go to www.westkilbride.org.uk
  • The Enterprising Britain 2005 winner was Sherwood Energy Village, Ollerton. For more information go to  www.sev.org.uk
  • The Scarborough Renaissance Partnership was entered into and went on to win a Europe-wide competition – the ‘European Enterprise Awards’
  • The European Enterprise Awards are inspired by the Enterprising Britain Competition, and aim to recognise and reward outstanding initiatives that support entrepreneurship at the regional level. The Awards are open to public authorities in the EU and Norway.  More than 350 national, regional and local authorities - including towns, cities and regions as well as public-private partnerships between public authorities and entrepreneurs, educational programmes and business organisations - in 25 countries competed in the national round of the 2008/2009 European Enterprise Awards
  • The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills helps UK business succeed in an increasingly competitive world. It promotes business growth and a strong enterprise economy, leads the better regulation agenda and champions free and fair markets. It is the shareholder in a number of Government-owned assets and it works to secure, clean and competitively priced energy supplies

Yorkshire Forward

  • Yorkshire Forward is the Regional Development Agency behind the economic regeneration of Yorkshire and Humber. It aims to make a positive difference by investing in jobs, improving towns and cities, and in supporting businesses throughout the region.
  • Yorkshire Forward’s investment across the region is maximised by attracting European Regional Development Funding.
  • For further information, images or to arrange an interview, please contact Laura Scholey, Press Manager on 0113 3949540 or email laura.scholey@yorkshire-forward.com